BANGKOK -- Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters poured into Bangkok on Sunday demanding that the government step down in what was one of the largest demonstrations in the recent tumultuous history of Thailand. Convoys of farmers in pickup trucks and busloads of families wearing the protesters' trademark red shirts blanketed a district of ministries and government offices. "We are here to announce class warfare, in peace and for democracy," Nattawut Saikua, a charismatic protest leader, said to a roaring crowd not deterred by the scorching sun. Organizers estimated the crowd at 250,000 people and said more were on the way by road and riverboat. The police estimated the number of protesters at 55,000 but said the number was likely to increase into the night. The protest leaders have vowed to continue their demonstration well into the week if their demands are not met. In four years of political turmoil here, the divisions in Thai society have been complex and manifold. But on Sunday, protesters and their leaders portrayed the demonstration as a struggle of the poor and disaffected against a government supported and controlled by the elite.
BANGKOK -- Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters poured into Bangkok on Sunday demanding that the government step down in what was one of the largest demonstrations in the recent tumultuous history of Thailand.
Convoys of farmers in pickup trucks and busloads of families wearing the protesters' trademark red shirts blanketed a district of ministries and government offices.
"We are here to announce class warfare, in peace and for democracy," Nattawut Saikua, a charismatic protest leader, said to a roaring crowd not deterred by the scorching sun.
Organizers estimated the crowd at 250,000 people and said more were on the way by road and riverboat. The police estimated the number of protesters at 55,000 but said the number was likely to increase into the night. The protest leaders have vowed to continue their demonstration well into the week if their demands are not met.
In four years of political turmoil here, the divisions in Thai society have been complex and manifold. But on Sunday, protesters and their leaders portrayed the demonstration as a struggle of the poor and disaffected against a government supported and controlled by the elite.
Tens of thousands of red-shirted supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed prime minister, have gathered in Bangkok to demand the government's ouster, sparking a major security operation. Riot police and soldiers guarded government offices as part of a 50,000-strong security force deployed on the streets to prevent any outbreak of violence on Sunday. Bangkok police said 45,000 protesters from the north and northeast of the country had turned up at the rally site by Saturday night. The government said it expected about 70,000 Red Shirts(the colour worn by Thaksin supporters) to attend, but the protesters have said the number will be several times higher.
Tens of thousands of red-shirted supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed prime minister, have gathered in Bangkok to demand the government's ouster, sparking a major security operation.
Riot police and soldiers guarded government offices as part of a 50,000-strong security force deployed on the streets to prevent any outbreak of violence on Sunday.
Bangkok police said 45,000 protesters from the north and northeast of the country had turned up at the rally site by Saturday night.
The government said it expected about 70,000 Red Shirts(the colour worn by Thaksin supporters) to attend, but the protesters have said the number will be several times higher.
